Amazon Unbox
”Get Ready for iTunes Taxes
Digital content makes a lot money—over $130 billion in sales a year—but most of that actually isn't taxed. Yet! Realizing they're leaving vast streams of green untapped, states are getting wise—nine this year have considered digital download taxes, and five of those passed them, for a total of 17 states that tax digital purchases. And don't worry, they're totally coming to a state near you, it's only a matter of time. More »State of The Infinite Format War: Get Ready for Five Long Years of Set-Top Battle Royale
One year ago, we predicted that the infinite format war would rise from the ashes of the HD DVD/Blu-ray format war—that a million online services and set-top boxes would suddenly promise to deliver movies and video to your computer or TV. And that each one would essentially be their own format, since none of them are compatible, and each would promise only a fraction of available movies. We were right about our fears, but we also have a solution to a decent download collection. More »HD Content Confirmed For Amazon Unbox!
TiVo has officially confirmed that Amazon Unbox will get HD content in the near future, but execs at the company say a few kinks need to be ironed out first. The current version of Unbox can't process HD content, and availability is limited by bandwidth constraints—something cable companies are in the process of solving. If a previous customer survey is to be trusted, an HD movie rental will cost $4.99, the same as iTunes. [Zatz Not Funny! - Thanks Dave]
rumor
Amazon Unbox HD Rentals Coming Soon?
Amazon's Unbox service might finally get some HD action. This screencap is from a survey sent out to their customer panel—notice the $4.99 pricepoint to rent an HD movie is the same as iTunes. Where's the "cheaper, plz" option? They also asked whether there's interest in subscriptions—like to "hit movies," or say, indie flicks. What say ye? [Thanks Michael!]
free stuff
Amazon-Pepsi Promotion Gets Official and Awesome: Free MP3s, Unbox Downloads, DVDs, CDs and Gadgets
Good news on the Pepsi-Amazon MP3 contest front: It's official, it's not a contest and they've giving away more than MP3s. It's a point-based promo that launches on Feb. 1, with 4 billion Pepsi products carrying points that you can bank on PepsiStuff.com for MP3s from Amazon store, which now has tracks from all four major labels. Five points scores one download. The bad news: More »
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NBC Jumps Ship to Amazon Unbox
After the he said/she said BS between Apple and NBC over the last few days, we're kind of glad to see some kind of resolution: NBC's taking its business to Amazon Unbox, which will give NBC "greater flexibility in the pricing and packaging of video downloads." For the time being though, shows still seem to fetch $1.99 on Unbox. But there are a couple of other interesting tidbits in the Times article worth noting. More »TiVo HD Review From Late Last Night
That's a beauty shot of the $300 TiVo HD we reviewed last midnight. If you use a DVR, you have to check it out. This thing is pretty badass for three bills. [TiVo HD Review]
breaking
$300 TiVo HD Unboxed and Fondled (Verdict: Hell Yes!)
If you've been saving up your nickels to get a $800 TiVo Series3, you just got yourself a $500 bonus prize. Today TiVo releases the TiVo HD, a scaled-back version of the original Series3 that lists for just $299. We got our hands on one, and managed the even more complicated task of convincing Cablevision to install two CableCARDs. Now that it's up and running, I can't think of a single reason to ever plug in that Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD again. (Oh yeah, the TiVo's a loaner.) The great news: To reach the low-low-price of $300, TiVo only cuts the corners we'd cut ourselves. It is functionally a Series 3, minus the fluff.More »
Amazon Unbox Now Directly on TiVo, No PC Required
[Update] Living up to Amazon Unbox's name and TiVo's reputation, the two finally ditched the requirement of a PC to browse and select titles, and introduced a video-download service that exists entirely on the TiVo itself, allowing you to rent and buy movies and television shows. Movie rentals will range from $1.99 to $3.99, movie purchases from 9.99 to 14.99, and TV shows will cost $1.99 per episode. Don't worry about storing too many of your purchases on your TiVo's hard drive: Like the Xbox video service, Amazon keeps your purchases on record, and lets you download them whenever you want from its server.
More »
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The Infinite Video Format War is Coming
Blu-Ray will dominate the industry in three years. Or maybe it will be HD DVD. The general consensus is that whoever wins doesn't really get a lasting victory, since they're both in the last physical video format ever. That sentiment has largely been the consensus of the press and leaders in the tech industry. More »
home entertainment
Netflix on Your TiVo, Though Not How You Want It
Yes, now you can interact with your Netflix account on your TiVo, although sadly that doesn't mean you can stream movies to your TiVo via Netflix's Watch It Now service. No, it just means you can sort through movies and add them to your Netflix or Blockbuster queue without turning on a computer. You can, however, use it to also manage your Amazon Unbox account, which will let you download content. More »
home entertainment
Hands-On: Amazon Unbox On TiVo, Working Together for Movie Downloading Hijinks
The Amazon Unbox movie download system is now firmly linked up with the TiVo service, and if you have a TiVo Series 2 or Series 3 box, now you can download Amazon Unbox movies right into your Now Playing list just as if they were another TV show or movie. We gave it a try, winding our way through its password protection and DRM (digital rights management) and eagerly awaiting the result.More »
home entertainment
Amazon Unbox Goes Live on TiVo
TiVo fans your time has come. Amazon's Unbox video download service is officially open to all TiVo Series 2 and Series 3 owners. So now you'll be able to shop for Amazon vids on your Web browser and have them downloaded straight to your TiVo. Doesn't get easier than that. TiVo's even offering $15-worth of free vids if you sign up by the 30th of April. Not bad considering TV shows go for $1.99 while movie purchases range from $9.99 to $14.99 (rentals start at $1.99). As for the DirecTV TiVo crowd, sorry gang. You're left out of this one. Anyone out there give it a try yet? More »
software
ExtremeTech Puts Movie Download Sites to the Test
We all know about the Internet's illegal movie sites, but what's a law-abiding netizen to do if they want a quick movie fix from the comfort of their PC. ExtremeTech has gone through the trouble of taking five of today's most popular movie services out for a spin. More »
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